Solar Cookers - Sun Ovens

[Slipper]

I need to lower my power bill (a lot of bills actually) and am looking at a solar cooker. As well, we live in an area that is hit by storms that have the capability to knock out our power for several days at a time. Has anyone ever used a Sun Oven? What is the difference between the two ovens? Will the smaller one still hold a fair amount of food (dishes)?

 

Thanks for any help.

[Arcadia]

Are you making one or buying one? I had made two different kinds. My kids made the pizza box solar oven which is small but they managed to baked cookies in my hot patio. I made the big size solar cooker in high school as a science club project with schoolmates. That could cook a game hen or enough food to feed four. Solar cooker unfortunately don't work well on cloudy days.

For power outage, I actually find a portable charcoal grill with spare fire starters easier than relying on solar cookers.

 

Pizza box oven building instruction

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/build-a-solar-oven-project/a/1237/

Solar cooker building instructions

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/radabaugh30.html

[*Michelle*]

We have an SOS Sport oven. We thought it would be a good idea to have one here in Florida, especially during summer hurricane season. The one we have came with two 3.4 qt pots and both can fit inside the oven at the same time. It's certainly easy to use, although you can't cook everything and anything inside it. I would say that your normal Crockpot recipes do well as long as they don't use a lot of liquid. So, a roasted chicken is fine, but chicken soup is not. It takes a long time to heat up liquid and you may not get enough light during the day to do it. We've made chicken breasts, baked potatoes, corn on the cob and a few other things in ours, but it mainly sits on the shelf with our emergency supplies now.

 

If we went to the beach more, it would be fun to have there. You could have dinner cooking all day and eat a hot meal on the beach before heading home.

[Jane in NC]

We have an SOS Sport oven. We thought it would be a good idea to have one here in Florida, especially during summer hurricane season. The one we have came with two 3.4 qt pots and both can fit inside the oven at the same time. It's certainly easy to use, although you can't cook everything and anything inside it. I would say that your normal Crockpot recipes do well as long as they don't use a lot of liquid. So, a roasted chicken is fine, but chicken soup is not. It takes a long time to heat up liquid and you may not get enough light during the day to do it. We've made chicken breasts, baked potatoes, corn on the cob and a few other things in ours, but it mainly sits on the shelf with our emergency supplies now.

 

If we went to the beach more, it would be fun to have there. You could have dinner cooking all day and eat a hot meal on the beach before heading home.

 

That looks really nifty. Have you tried baking anything in it?

[*Michelle*]

Not yet. I might try it this summer. The kit came with a recipe book and I know there's a cake in there. Yeast rolls might be interesting.

[Jane in NC]

Not yet. I might try it this summer. The kit came with a recipe book and I know there's a cake in there. Yeast rolls might be interesting.

 

Good luck with it! I have often thought that we could get some mileage out of a solar oven, both in the worst of the summer and during hurricane season. But I have wondered if the return would be worth the initial cost.

 

You have gotten me thinking...

[*Michelle*]

The nice thing about it is that it doesn't take up much room and there isn't any mechanical portion to break. It's just one part of our emergency cooking arsenal, though. We've got a camping dutch oven that we can use with coals, a regular propane grill with backup tanks, and a table-top camping grill with a few flats of fuel.

 

Can you tell I'm paranoid about not being able to cook with the power out? :D

[Slipper]

I'm not sure yet if I want to buy or make one. We're not very handy at making things so I shy away a bit from making it.

 

We have a gas grill that I use frequently. However, I would like to try some solar power projects with the girls this summer and would love to be able to set something out in the morning and have it ready by evening without using electricity.

[Bensmom]

I love my sun oven. Our house really heats up when we use the kitchen oven in summer (2 story house with 1AC unit=hard to regulate temps.). I cook casseroles and bread in it. I do the bread first and time it so the main dish is ready to come out and go straight to the table. Mine only gets to about 320 degrees (sometimes 350) so I adjust cook times as needed. It is nearly impossible to burn anything in it. The only thing I do not like is that I can't cook more things at once. Maybe I just need two?

[lea_lpz]

Are you making one or buying one? I had made two different kinds. My kids made the pizza box solar oven which is small but they managed to baked cookies in my hot patio. I made the big size solar cooker in high school as a science club project with schoolmates. That could cook a game hen or enough food to feed four. Solar cooker unfortunately don't work well on cloudy days.

For power outage, I actually find a portable charcoal grill with spare fire starters easier than relying on solar cookers.

 

Pizza box oven building instruction

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/build-a-solar-oven-project/a/1237/

Solar cooker building instructions

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/radabaugh30.html

 

 

I've thought about doing this in summer for some time! It gets way too hit in summer to use my stove or oven, sometimes for several days. BBQ gets old after awhile. My kids would love this, and dh would get a kick out if making it, I bet, even.

 

We don't have ac so have been trying to come with ways to do more outdoor cooking. Great timing for this post!

 

Gotta love the hive mind sometimes....:)